Summary
An industry insider and reporter has shared new details about the chaos that ensued behind the scenes at PlayStation following the cancelation ofThe Last of Us’standalone multiplayer title. Despite reportedly being in development for approximately four years, the project to transformThe Last of Usinto a new multiplayer game was canceled in 2023 and led to “heads rolling” at Sony as a result.
Thecancelation ofThe Last of Us Onlinewas a devastating blow for fans, as many die-hard players had been clamoring for a new multiplayer take onThe Last of Usever since the original’s Factions mode. This popular multiplayer section forThe Last of Uspitted players against each other with three different modes to choose from. When Naughty Dog revealed the first concept art for the new standalone multiplayer game set within the universe ofThe Last of Us, it credited Factions as one of the main reasons for wanting to create something much larger. In December 2023, however, the studio confirmed that development onThe Last of Us Onlinehad been halted due to the sheer size of the title and the resources required to maintain it.
Now, almost one year after the game’s cancelation, industry insider and reporter Jason Schreier has revealed some grim details about what went on behind the scenes. Speaking on theFriends Per Second podcast, Schreier revealed thatThe Last of Us Onlinewas supposedly in development for roughly four years with a team “in the hundreds.” He also explained that the project’s cancelation was not a “bloodless endeavor.”
The Last of Us Online Was An Expensive Cancelation For Sony
Schreier joined the Friends Per Second podcast mainly to discuss therecent layoffs at Bungie, the studio best known for its hit shooter,Destiny 2. However, the journalist also touched on live service titles as a whole and briefly talked about the canceledThe Last of Usmultiplayer title known asThe Last of Us Online. Although it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Schreier said that heads were rolling at Sony following its cancelation, suggesting that there were likely some higher-ups in trouble at the studio. He also revealed that the project was an incredibly expensive one, mainly due to the hundreds of employees working on the title.
Despite being in development for many years, details about whatThe Last of Us Onlinewas going to look like have been relatively scarce. However, shortly after the title was canceled by Naughty Dog,leaked images forThe Last of Us Onlinestarted to appear online. These images all but confirmed that the standalone multiplayer game was going to include plenty of standard live service elements, such as a Battle Pass, a Battle Royale mode, an in-game item store, seasonal content, and more.
While the cancelation ofThe Last of Us Onlinewas a big blow for fans,PlayStation still has a plethora of live service gamesin the works. The most prominent of the bunch isConcord, which is right around the corner as it targets an August 23 release date for PlayStation 5 and PC.
